Coach Guide

Snapshot of docs/user/coach-guide.md at commit 707b4a0, preserved before the docs were compacted. History only: the current specs are in the repository.

Training with ReactPods: a guide for coaches

How to plan sessions with ReactPods: where to put the pods, which game fits which goal, and how to run a group. For switching on, the light codes and the app, see the user manual. Deutsch: Trainerleitfaden.

---

1. Before the session

• Charge the pods. A charge lasts about an hour of play. Charge them switched on, and never unattended.
• Check the set. Switch all pods on once at home: every target must turn yellow and join when you start a game. A pod that stays yellow belongs to another set (manual §5).
• Choose the central. It is the pod the athlete presses most in many games (Weiche, Stern, Dreizack). Put it where you want the athlete to come back to.
• Plan the games. Each game needs a fixed number of pods (manual §6). With five pods you can play every shipped game.
• Optional: the app. Use it to change the number of rounds, sort the menu so that today's games come first, and add the athletes you will record.

2. Placing the pods

Setup	Distance	Good for
On a table or wall, within arm's reach	30–60 cm	Hand speed, eye–hand coordination, rehab
On the floor in a half circle	1–3 m	Footwork, quick steps, goalkeepers
Spread over a court	5–15 m	Sprints, change of direction, team games
On cones or walls at different heights	–	Looking around, hands and feet mixed

Tips:

• Put the pods where the athlete can see all of them without turning. Peripheral vision is part of the training; a pod behind the athlete turns it into a search game.
• Keep the same layout for a series of sessions. Only then do the times compare.
• Tell the athlete how to press (flat hand, fingers) and keep it the same: it changes the times a lot.
• Radio range is enough for one hall. Walls or many bodies between the pods can make a pod drop out for a moment: the central turns yellow and the game waits until it is back.

3. Which game for which goal

Goal	Games	Notes
Pure reaction	Solo, Release	Solo: press when the light turns green; false starts show red. Release: let go on green, like a sprint start.
Choice reaction	Run5	Green and red targets at once: press only the green ones. A red press ends the round.
Footwork, coming back to the middle	Weiche, Dreizack, Stern	Central in the middle, targets around it: target, centre, target, centre …
Moving between points	Dreieck, Quadrat	One pod lights at random, never the same twice in a row. 12 rounds per cycle.
Speed over a course	Run	All pods light at once; press them all as fast as possible. The app shows the lap time.
Partner / rhythm	Duo	Central and target take turns; two athletes can share it. Missing for 5 s counts as a miss.
Timing, holding	Charge	Hold to "charge" the ring and let go at the right moment.
Team game	Domination	Two teams flip pods between red and blue. Most pods after 20 s wins.

Start with the simpler games (Solo, Duo, Dreieck) for beginners and children. The "come back to the middle" games are tiring: plan short cycles and enough rest.

4. A sample session (about 45 minutes)

Time	Part	Game and setup
5 min	Get to know the pods	Solo on a table: everyone tries a few presses, learns green = press, red = don't.
10 min	Warm-up	Dreieck on the floor, 2 m apart, easy pace. One cycle each, swap.
15 min	Main part: footwork	Stern or Dreizack with the central in the middle, 2–3 m. 2–3 cycles per athlete, at least the same time as rest.
10 min	Choice reaction	Run5 over a short course: press only the green ones.
5 min	Game to finish	Domination, two teams.

Between cycles the pods show all blue for a few seconds, then the next cycle starts by itself. That is the moment to swap athletes.

5. Running a group

• One set per station. Pods only join their own set, so several sets can train in one hall. Give each set a name in the app ("Station 1", "Hall A"). All sets still share one radio channel; with many sets close together a pod may drop out for a moment more often (a channel per set is planned).
• Stations with rotation. For example three stations with one set each: reaction (Solo), footwork (Weiche), course (Run). Swap stations after each cycle.
• Waiting athletes count or judge. With Run5 they can watch for wrong presses; with Duo two athletes play against each other.
• Change the game by switching the central off and on (holding the top during the battery ring at switch-on) and choosing again. The targets can stay on.

6. Measuring progress

• The pods measure every press. After each cycle they work out best, average and worst time.
• With firmware 2.12 or newer and the app connected, the results arrive live: pick the athlete in the app before the cycle; the app saves the result to that athlete. After the cycle you choose Continue, Repeat (the result is not counted) or Stop (manual §8.6).
• In the app the Pause button pauses the game, for example to explain something. Only Resume in the app continues it; until then the pods stay yellow.
• Compare only results from the same game, layout and distance. The average says more than the best time; a better worst time shows that the athlete stays focused.
• Children and beginners improve quickly in the first sessions just from knowing the game. Real progress shows after a few weeks.

7. Safety

• Check the floor around the pods: no slipping on pods placed on the floor, enough room for stopping after a sprint.
• Pods on walls or tables: fix them so they cannot fall.
• Plan rest. Reaction training is intense; quality drops quickly when athletes are tired.
• Never leave pods charging unattended.
• Results of athletes are personal data. Record them only with consent (for children, the parents' consent).

8. Quick answers

Question	Answer
How many athletes per set?	One at a time. Several athletes take turns.
Can I play without a phone?	Yes, every shipped game runs without the app. You only see no numbers.
Can I change the number of rounds without the app?	No. Use the app (manual §8.1).
A pod went yellow during the game	A target is lost (battery, range, switched off). The game continues when it is back.
The athlete pressed too early	Solo shows red (false start) and records no time for that try.